Loremaster is going to run away with this XD I like Green Mages as an idea, so that's where I went.
Lore master, because come on it's you typical wizard archetype, and Stonemage
Oh man, I'm all over that Greenmage! I've always loved the idea of drawing magical energies from the forces of nature, but I've become quite weary of the archetypical shapeshifting, scimitar-toting, healing- and CC-focused Druid. The Stonemage also sounds interesting, but since I'm planning on having a rogue in the party, I think its trap detection and dungeon traversal schtick will already be covered. The Loremaster is a must, of course, even just for its utility. You can't have wizards without the studious bookworm archetype, and I feel that the Shock Arcanist is too narrow in its purpose to fulfill that role by itself.
I chose Greenmage and Stonemage. While all of the options have in world connections, I feel like these subclasses add something to the story of your character, whereas Loremaster is just adding Wizard to your Wizard.
The Greenmage also reads to me as an interesting mix of Arcane Archer, Bladesinger and Druid. I can see the versatile arrow options of the Arcane Archer (banishing an enemy, blinding them, curving your arrows), the damage reduction/additional armor of the Bladesinger and I imagine the Druid spell list (or maybe just the Ranger) would be available, providing the wizard with healing spells like Cure Wounds and Goodberry, as well as, battlefield control spells like Spike Growth. My only concern for this subclass is making it distinct from and yet overshadowing the Ranger.
I also like the Stonemage because it's something I haven't seen in D&D yet. Having a dwarvish arcane tradition is interesting and I think with the amount of ruins/stone-buildings I imagine we'll find ourselves in it will almost undoubtedly be useful. Also it just further excites me to imagine spells like Stone Shape, Stoneskin, etc. being animated. My only hope, because while we haven't seen this in 5e D&D before, is that the devs really look at the spell list. Not a lot of "earth" based spells. If this is a more control-esque subclass though I'm interested to see where they take it.
Well, Rangers - the not beastmaster rangers, anyways - have a lot of combat options that a wizard probably won't. like, I could see the green wizard getting the Archery Fighter style, but nothing like Volley from Hunter Tactics or Gloom Stalker's Umbral Sight. To put it another way - a Green Wizard, by my read, is going to be a wizard that can shoot a bow effectively - and, given ranges on most cantrips, will have an occasional reason to do so, even ignoring magical bows - but is not going to have the damage output with it to make it better than cantrip spam at closer ranges. Rangers, on the other hand, have massive benefits in physical combat almost across the board, and get the benefit of specializing, while Greens get a lot of touches as a Jack-of-All-trades - you know (to spit ball), level 3 is Archery, level 7 gets a +heal and buff duration, and 11 gets you a bonus on your spells - they've got 3 aspects to focus in, so they aren't going to be what any Ranger Subclass does - which is be super effective at a certain form of combat/situation.
I wanted to pick Greenmage but it sounds too much like Ranger/druid.
So I think I'll go against my gut and vote Stonemage. And Loremaster is a must ;)
Loremaster, because sages are neat. Stonemaster because dwarven mages get frequently overlooked.
Hi,
I would go with Loremaster and green mage
Loremaster and Greenmage!
I had to go with Loremaster, since it hearkens to the research and study aspects of traditional wizards. It also has an acheologocial and historian aspects that are just perfect for wizards, especially adventuring wizards. I chose Stonemage over Greenmage becuase it made more sense that dwarves would learn to work with stone and hone its inherent magic. The Greenmage does have more of a druidic feel. Greenmage, could be a common Sylvan name for Druid, however. That would be cool. Introduce the Druid at a later point (sooner if possible) and have the Greenmmage, Shapeshifter, and Weather Wizard as archtypes.
Gryphon
I choose Loremaster (like most others) and I like dungeon crawls which it sounds like Stonemage would be most useful.
Green mage and Stone mage are best
It's very simple. Greenmages and Stonemages can use attack spells. Attack spells mean death for others. Loremaster reads a book. Stonemages have control over the ground, and most natural disasters are caused by ground related things. Earthquakes? Ground. Tsunamis? Ground. Volcanoes? Ground. An incredibly powerful Stonemage can probably destroy a whole country. Greenmages are friends with the Earth. This may seem a bit lame at first, but it gets much better. Being friends with the planet you live on is an amazing feat. The unpredictability of what our planet can throw at you, and the fact that a Greenmage has a minuscule semblance of dominion over its actions already make them a pretty scary powerhouse. Add onto the fact that Nature loves them so much, it would be willing to save them from a mortal blow. So what's the best option? A book person who reads books to get magic, a person who can manipulate natural disasters, and destroy a whole country at the pinnacle of their power, or, last but not least, a person who's friends with our planet. Friends with a whole entire god damn planet.
Nature will always be my favorite element, but for gameplay purposes: Stonemage Dwarves are more interesting and the loremaster would make a great character when it comes to progression.
I think Loremaster is a good choice.
While I do like the idea of the other two mages, they sound too much like druids than wizards to me.
As an avid homebrew creator myself, I feel that they both cross that unspoken border between arcane and divine casters.
Loremaster is a must have - that is just what a scolar-y wizard is meant to be.
Nature just seems to provide more opportunities in the game.